Donations to Columbia University plummet after anti-Israel Gaza camp protests

Following the series of anti-Israel protests earlier this year, Columbia University has experienced a nearly 29 percent drop in donations during its 2024 annual fundraiser. During the protests, school officials called in the NYPD to break them up. University president Minouche Shafik resigned over the summer and the interim head who came in has since apologized for the school's treatment of protesters. One protester has sued the school over being suspended over his antisemitic behavior.

Columbia’s “Giving Day” event in 2024 raised $21.4 million, a significant decrease from the $30 million it garnered in 2022, according to the Columbia Spectator, the campus newspaper. The event was not held in 2023 due to the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent protests on campus.

The university also saw a nearly 28 percent decline in the number of gifts, which dropped from 19,229 in 2022 to 13,870 in 2024, the lowest level since 2015 and the first time the total monetary amount of the donations declined from the previous year since the event began in 2012. In response to the decline, the Columbia Spectator stated that the university is currently facing a “donor crisis — born out of concerns regarding campus protests.”

The athletic department raised $4.6 million, Columbia College raised $3.5 million, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science brought in $3.2 million.

“Columbia is fortunate to have a dedicated community of alumni, parents and friends who recognize the impact their financial donations, volunteer time, talents, advice and mentoring make in assisting students and supporting the mission of the university and its schools,” a Columbia spokesperson said in response to the fundraising. “Their participation and support is ongoing and sincerely appreciated, and they continue to ensure the ongoing success of the university.”

The protests at Columbia, which included Gaza encampments and the occupation of Hamilton Hall by anti-Israel activists, drew widespread condemnation from both political parties and officials within the federal government. Last April, House Speaker Mike Johnson threatened to withhold federal funding from the university due to the ongoing unrest.